Anniversary
by iftheworldwasonfire
Summary: Wally isn't using his powers, and he almost gets killed because of it. The question is...why isn't he using them? Rated T for light language.


**Uhm...hi! Lilmissf here...now, this is my first Young Justice fanfiction. I only just discovered the show. I was looking up Kid Flash on deviantart and I saw a picture of him with a different costume than the Teen Titans (that's what I usually write) and green eyes. I was like, "Uhh...last time I checked KF did **_**not**_** have green eyes." So, I clicked on the picture, found out there was a show called Young Justice that was kinda like the Teen Titans, and watched all the episodes on youtube. THEY ARE EPIC! By the way, does anyone know when episode ten is going to come out? It's been, like, three months! Anyway, this is a slightly dark, Wally-centric one-shot. Italics are flashbacks. And the characters might be a bit OOC, just letting you know. Especially Artemis. Also, yes, Wally has a room at Mount Justice with a bed. They all do, or, at least in my fanfictions, they do.**

**Rating: T because, as you may know, I am extremely paranoid.**

**Pairings: None really...POSSIBLY a little Wally/Dick if you stand on your head and squint...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Young Justice...what a surprise.**

**Robin's Point of View**

"Kid Flash, _what_ were you _thinking_?" Aqualad snaps sharply. "That was _extremely_ idiotic-"

"-even for you," Artemis adds, and Aqualad shoots her a look. Kid Flash stays silent, which surprises me, since he usually has a witty comment for every situation, and keeps his veridian eyes locked on the ground, though they flit back and forth. I have to stifle a laugh. Even his _eyes_ can't keep still.

"Why didn't you use your powers?" Miss Martian asks, her wide russet orbs filled with concern and worry. We've just battled Clayface for the second time, and barely won. Needless to say, spirits aren't flying high. We're covered in gunk, our bodies are stinging and smarting from the battle, and we're all pretty cranky. Kid Flash happened to think that it was better if he engaged Clayface in hand-to-hand combat, without using his superspeed. Basically, he almost got killed. But luckily, we helped him out, and all's well that ends well. Or at least...that's what I think.

"Yeah, Kid Idiot," Artemis snorts, but she gets no response to her insult. A troubled look briefly appears on her face before it twists back into her regular confident, unwavering smirk. "Are your pwecious wittle powers not working?"

"No," Kid Flash replies shortly, glaring at her, his eyes now hard and devoid of any emotion except anger. Then, he mutters, "I just didn't _want_ to use them." Looks are exchanged. Kid Flash is probably the _most_ accepting of his powers. In fact, he _embraces_ his powers, embraces them to an extent where it induces a bit of hilarity. So it makes absolutely zero sense that he would prefer not to use them.

"Why?" Superboy grunts, wiping a bit of sludge off of his face. Then realization practically barrels me over. It hits me hard, so hard I actually jerk backwards a bit and my hidden eyes widen, getting so big that they'd be comical if they weren't hidden by my domino mask. I let out barely audible gasp, followed by a sharp intake of breath, which captures the attention of my teammates, who all look at me, confusion, curiosity, and suspicion clearly etched upon their faces.

Oh, God. How could I have not realized this sooner? Today is the day...today is the day that it all began.

I feel so stupid. This has happened before...but I never really knew why until he explained it last year. I swear, his explanation just about shattered my heart, like a hammer smashing into Venetian crystal. If only I could tell the others...but Wally begged my not to. Practically pleaded with me.

"_Dick...you can't tell anyone about this. Only Uncle Barry and you know, and I want to keep it that way until I die. Please, Dick, don't..."_ His eyes...his eyes that day...they radiated a broken spirit...

_ "But Wally, what if you're fighting and-"_

_ "Uncle Barry knows. He doesn't make me go out to fight crime that day. He never did, and he never will."_

_ "But-"_

_ "God, Dick, no more buts! Just please, please, please don't tell anyone. You can't. I'm practically begging you, Dick. Don't tell. Please."_

_ "Okay, Wally. I swear I won't tell."_

"I don't understand," Megan says. "Why don't you wish to use your powers? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Kid Flash mumbles, turning slightly aways from her and crossing his arms. Then he lets out a small sigh. "Look, I just..."

"We'll talk about this later," Aqualad says, his grey eyes narrowed in concentration. Sheathing his two water-bearers, he tells Megan to call the bio-ship, which she immediately does, and soon it appears, landing neatly in front of us. We board, all six of us quietly shuffling up the ramp, Kid Flash trudging behind all of us. I grab his arm quickly, and hold him back. He gives me a wary look.

"Are you okay?" I ask in an undertone, keeping an eye on our teammates.

"I..." Wally begins, pausing, then shakes his head, his windswept hair tumbling around slightly. "I just want to get out of this uniform as quick as I can."

**Kid Flash's Point of View**

The ride back was silent. No one spoke a word, but the tension was so tangible, so thick you could practically cut it with a knife. And they kept _looking_ at me. And _looking_ at each-other. Trying to figure out what's _wrong _with me.

Nothing's wrong. I just don't want to use my powers.

As soon as we got home, I walked to my room. Without using superspeed. I could practically _see_ the alarm in their eyes, even though I wasn't facing towards them. When I got to my room, I quickly peeled off my canary-colored uniform, which was sweaty and covered in gunk. Then I stuffed it in the corner and climbed into my bed.

So, here I am. Wally West, naked except for my boxers, curled in a fetal position under my warm, flannel covers. I feel sick, my stomach twisting unpleasantly, and I swallow, knowing that I'm not actually sick, but I want to be. Because today...

Today is the day that I got my powers.

I still remember the accident like it was yesterday. I was over at Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris' place, and Uncle Barry told me I was going to meet the Flash at the lab where he got his powers. I was so excited, practically bouncing up and down. The Flash was my hero. He still is.

When I saw him, I nearly fainted in awe. Right in front of me was the freaking _Scarlet Speedster_, the Flash in flesh and blood.

_"Wow! I can't believe...the Flash is standing right in front of me!" The cowl-clad hero chuckles lightly, his laughter soft, lilting, melodious, and it immediately puts me at ease._

_ "Hey, kid! What's your name?"_

_ "Wallace Rudolph West. Only, don't tell anyone my middle name. I hate it. Oh, and call me Wally. Wallace is too...too...formal."_

_ "Okay, Wally. D'you want to take a look inside?"_

I remember zooming around, taking in every inch of the place. This was the _birthplace_ of my hero. It was raining softly, the barely audible patter slapping down on the windows, a grumble of thunder sounding in the distance.

_"I wish I had your powers, Flash. That would be SO COOL!"_

_ "Lightning never strikes twice in the same place, kid."_

But it did. Just as I went over to examine some interestingly colored chemicals that sparkled with a kind of vibrant light, drawing me closer, a huge bolt of lighting streaked down from the heavens and hit the side of the building, rendering the wall I was near to bits of rubble.

_"WALLY!" the Flash screams, my horror reflected in his eyes._

_ "FLASH!" I cry back, letting out a shriek as electrically-charged chemicals splatter onto my small ten-year-old body, and bits of glass embed themselves in my limbs. _

_ "Oh, god, Wally," the Flash, murmurs, instantly at my side, scooping me up in his arms. I scream in agony again when the glass on the side pressing into his warm body is pushed into my flesh deeper and deeper. And that is my cue to black out._

It took me three months to get back to normal. Three months of talking so fast nobody could hear what I said, three months of being unable to control spurts of my speed, three months of Iris and Barry getting used to my super-charged brain, and three months of eating unbelievable amounts of food, and three months of getting used to the agonizing slowness of the people and world around me. In other words, it was hell. But at least I had Uncle Barry.

_"U-Uncle...Uncle Barry?" I ask incredulously, as the Scarlet Speedster himself rips off his cowl to show me familiar blond hair and startling emerald eyes._

_ "Yep, it's me, kid."_

_ "Wait...you're the Flash?" Uncle Barry cracks a grin. _

_ "Yeah. I'm the Flash."_

_ "Well...I guess you're my hero in more ways than one, now."_

On my first anniversary of getting my powers, I tried vibrating through a wall. I was convinced that if the Flash could do it, then so could I.

_"AHHHH!" my strangled cry rings through the room as I plug my throbbing nose, trying not to watch crimson blood spurt out. Uncle Barry is by my side in a flash (excuse the lame pun) his eyes wide and anxious._

_ "Wally! What the heck happened?"_

_ "I dried to bibrate drough duh wall?" I say, but it comes slurred due to my bloody nose._

_ Uncle Barry shakes his head, rolling his eyes. "Kid, it s'not gonna come immediately. You need to develop your powers more, control them, and then I'll teach you how to vibrate your molecules."_

_ "Cool," I reply. "Now, can we please dop mah nose from bleeding?"_

On the second anniversary of getting my powers, I tried breaking the Speed Force Barrier. Sound Barrier, Light Barrier, Time Barrier, Dimensional Barrier, Speed Force Barrier. I needed to break them, one at a time. Unfortunately, I only got past the Sound Barrier before Uncle Barry caught up to me, stopped me, and berated me for trying something like that.

_"Wally! What the hell are you doing?"_

_ "What does it look like?"_

_ "It looks like you're being an idiot!"_

On the third anniversary of getting my powers, I didn't use superspeed the whole day. I didn't put on my costume, and I told Uncle Barry I didn't want to go stop Captain Boomerang with him. I was just Wally West.

On the fourth anniversary of getting my powers, Uncle Barry didn't ask me to go out with him to stop crime, and I didn't offer to.

On the fifth anniversary of getting my powers, I was over at Dick's place when the Bat-Signal was shot into the sky. When I didn't put my costume on, Dick asked why, so I told him but made him swear not to tell anyone.

And now it's my sixth anniversary of getting my powers. I put on my uniform, but I didn't use my powers, resulting in me almost dying.

**Robin's Point of View**

"It's seven! He hasn't come out to eat! And I made _cookies_!" Miss Martian cries practically in hysterics.

"Yeah, what's going on? He's like...not hungry..." Artemis says.

"But his metabolism-" Aqualad starts.

"-is also part of his powers," Superboy finishes, his face hard, like rock. "And obviously, he wants no part of using his powers today."

"Why, though?" Aqualad asks thoughtfully. I squirm slightly in my seat, feeling uncomfortable, but I don't say anything.

I promised him I wouldn't.

"Robin?" inquires Miss Martian softly. "Do you know anything about this?"

I can feel my face heating up, completely ruining my cover. I mentally facepalm myself. "Maybe he just wants to be petuous today."

"Petuous?" Artemis asks warily, raising an eyebrow.

"Neglected positive of impetuous," I answer, smirking.

"It doesn't work that way; you can't just remove a negative prefix of a word and make it positive," Artemis snaps.

"Says who?" I ask cockily.

"Says...says...society!" Artemis growls.

"Uh, guys? Focus! Something's wrong with Wally!" Miss Martian exclaims.

"Nothing's wrong with him," I reply, not really paying attention, and immediately regret my decision.

"You sound like you know what is happening to Wally," Aqualad says suspiciously.

"No! I mean, yes...I mean..."

"Tell us," Superboy commands flatly.

"I can't," I respond, looking at the floor.

"Why not?" Artemis demands.

"I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. But...just don't worry, okay? He's fine. It'll all be over tomorrow."

**Kid Flash's Point of View**

I think the question I should ask myself is: why do I do this? Why don't I use my powers on this day?

Maybe it's because I don't want to deal with them.

Maybe the stress is too much for me.

Maybe I want to remember what it's like without them.

Or...maybe, for just one day, I want to be Wally West, plain, old, boring Wally West.

Without being Kid Flash.

**Random drabble, probably not the best. Urgh, I can't help it! The plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone! I think Wally was around ten when he got his powers...sorry, I'm a bit iffy on Wally's history.**

**Please review?**

**~lilmissf**


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